Tuesday, 29 March 2011

The newly-established frontier settlement is in trouble. Recently, the river on which the settlers depend for their crops has started to run low. Crops are withering and food is getting scarce. The settlers are thinking about leaving the area and going somewhere more conducive to good harvests and full bellies.

Needless to say, this state of affairs is not natural. A young 2nd level druid, headstrong and idealistic sees the settlers cutting down trees, clearing the land and driving away the animals, and has decided to do something about it. He has used his Animal Friendship and Speak with Animals spells to bring under his control most of a local group of giant beavers and has persuaded them to dam the river that ultimately supplies water to the fields of the settlement. In this way, he hopes to drive the settlers off the land and see it return to nature without having to harm anyone.

All seemed to be working well until an evil magic user (4th level) and his band of henchmen arrived on the scene. They swiftly tracked down the druid but rather than kill him, the magic user had another use for the druid and Charmed him, using this to get him to release enough water from the dam to ensure that crops revive and no settlers leave the valley.

Ultimately, his plan is to destroy the dam, using his henchmen and the beavers, flooding the settlement in a catastrophic deluge which he intends to dedicate to his god. Such will be the power of this sacrifice, hundreds of souls, including women and children being lost, that the area will become tainted with darkness and radiate evil in a way that will attract monsters from far and wide.

And of course, the magic user has promised his henchmen that they can kill and skin the beavers when they have finished. Given that an average pelt is worth 1250gp and there are an average of 25 beavers in a colony, that’s 31,250 gp if you’ve a passive conscience and a sharp knife.

The magic user will keep his henchmen out of sight until he is sure that he needs them. If the druid is attacked in a way that is overtly hostile, the beavers that he has befriended will rush to his assistance and attempt to drive off his attackers. If he is killed, they will attempt to return the favour, knocking his killers into the lake, where other beavers will attempt to subdue or stun them with blows from their tails or drive them into areas of the dam where they will become entangled and drown.

Whilst the magic user is cunning and manipulative, portraying himself as a concerned friend of nature and the balance of neutrality, he is not regarded as a friend by the beavers, but merely as an associate of the druid. Therefore, it may be possible to manipulate the situation so that the beavers may turn against the magic user.

Depending on when the party get involved, the Charm Person spell on the druid may have as long as three weeks (his INT is 11) before he gets a chance to save again. The DM should keep a careful eye on the time taken by the party in voyaging into the wilderness to find the cause of the river’s low level.

Beavers are deemed to have treasure type C, which as we’ve already seen in past weeks is a low-probability wide-range treasure combo. Bizarrely they may also have magic items although just how they’re supposed to use them is another matter.

As a final note, these are not something that Gygax just took from the wild and stuck the word "Giant" in front of them. These critters really did exist, becoming extinct only about 10,000 years ago. Click the link at the start of the post to find out more. Not small, are they?

Thursday, 24 March 2011

This mysterious body of anonymous persons is believed to be connected to one of (if not all of) the various Gods of Mischief and organise to carry out practical jokes targeted at parties of PCs, striking when they least expect it. In this (very) occasional series, I'll be detailing their antics, which sadistic (or just mischevious) DMs might wish to borrow.

1) Mystery Mage

Across the city, the Merry Pranksters have been busy putting up posters with the following legend:

MYSTERY MAGE!

Mystery Mage will be in the city tomorrow.

To win a fabulous prize, simply go up to him and say "You are Mystery Mage and I claim my 1000gp reward!"

Mystery Mage will also be asking lucky winners a question - if you can answer it correctly, your prize will increase to 10,000gp

And in the centre of the poster is a very good likeness of the party's Magic User. It's up to the DM to decide whether the party find one of these posters before or after the fun starts.

Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Yesterday, I posted an adventure for bears that included a table of natural hazards and interesting things to be encountered on a journey through forest terrain. As a Community project (and a nod to Gorgonmilk), I wanted to throw this one open to my followers to see if we can beef up the d12 table into a d30 one.

What I want are non-monster hazards and features that have hidden dangers or features, along the lines of what's already there. Let's see if we can make woodland travel really hazardous again...

1. Landslide – either (1d6 1-3 the path ahead has crumbled away and leaves the party having to turn back or try a very risky way round or 4-6 the terrain above the party comes crashing down on them, with all the hazards that this will entail)

2. Quagmire – the party finds itself stuck in a marshy bog with the following consequences (1d6) 1-2 up to their waists, 3-4 up to their armpits, 5-6 up to their necks. Make a second roll and if a 6 comes up, a deep section of bog has been entered that is deeper than the party is tall)

3. Fallen tree – the path ahead is blocked. The blockage will extend 3d12 feet on either side of the path. The tree can be climbed over but horses and mules will have to be helped over or taken around the obstacle.

4. Wasps! A vicious swarm appears from an old tree stump and attacks the party and their mounts. The horses will panic unless either a ranger or druid is available to control them. Each party member who does not flee will take 1d3 of damage per round.

5. Precipitous slope – the ground pitches almost straight down in front of the party. Each party member must make a Climb Walls roll as if they were a thief of the equivalent level. Failure means the party member in question has plunged 1d30 feet with the appropriate damage when they come to a sudden stop. Horses and other animals will have great trouble descending. There is a 20% chance that searching to either side may reveal a narrow ledge whereby mounts can descend.

6. Woodland shrine, overgrown – either a cave or tumbledown stone walls signal what was once a holy site to a woodland deity. Now it is unused and overgrown but it may still have some lingering power. If the characters are of a diametrically opposed alignment, they will be struck down with a minor malevolent effect from page 162 of the DMG. A minor benevolent effect may be bestowed if the characters are sympathetic to the aims and beliefs of the deity. As mentioned in the DMG, the effects will last 1-4 weeks.

7. Poisonous berries – surely no-one would be so stupid as to eat those brightly coloured berries they can see growing in the bushes. Maybe not, but the horses might decide to try them. Or any other animals the party have with them. All animals that do try them must save vs. poison at +2 on the die or fall deeply unconscious and die within 1d12 hours.

8. Hallucinogenic flowers – as the party pass through this area, they will disturb the pollen of the flowers and this will cause hallucinations, the exact nature of which is down to the DM to decide.

9. Gorge – a deep gash in the ground blocks the way. It is like the precipitous slope except that on the far side of the river or stream at its bottom, there is another slope of similar steepness that needs to be ascended. Again, searching up and down the length of the gorge may find a place that is marginally easier to descend or ascend.

10. Midges! The swarming, biting cloud of insect pests makes the party’s life a misery. Each round that they are in this area, each of them will take 1hp of damage from the midges. All die rolls they have to make will be reduced by 1. Animals will be very bad-tempered and difficult to control.

11. Overgrown battle site – the bones and rusty armour tell a sorry tale of mortal combat and sudden death. Now, they are almost invisible amongst the undergrowth but there is a chance that some of the armour may be useable and a slim chance that some coins or magic may still be obtainable if the party dig hard enough. However, there is also a chance (10%) that the party will disturb something that was not meant to be troubled and a random undead entity will rise up to punish the interlopers (either skeleton, wraith, spectre or ghost)

12. Ancient statue – long-neglected and crumbling with the years, this is nevertheless indicative of something. Whether that something is a ruined mansion, a temple, the entrance to a dungeon complex or just a memorial to a forgotten family member, no self-respecting adventurers would pass it by without checking to see what else is in the neighbourhood. Of course, there is also the chance that it’s a stone golem that is waiting for some kind of trigger action.

13. A small freshwater creek crosses the path, just deep enough to fill the PCs' waterskins. Something drifts past the PCs while they are doing so:1 a cloud of red liquid (this could be anything from blood to wine to a magical potion)2 a toy ship3 lots of feathers4 lots of old leaves5 a message in a bottle6 lots of dead fishThere is something going on upstream... (RorschachHamster)

14. Pit - A pit or sinkhole about 12 feet across mostly hidden by vegetation. It's filled with thick mist/smoke (perhaps it opens to subterranean caverns?) and from within the murky depth strange hissing sounds can occasionally be heard. (Trey)

15. Eremite - A hermit monk (Cleric 3) is picking mushrooms in the woods. He's unusually loqacious (you know, for a hermit) and will tell a friendly part what he knows about the local area--and possibly something about mycology if asked. (Trey)

16. Irritating foliage - Dense patch of nettles/sumac/poison ivy means those walking through must save vs. poison or be at -1 to hit and AC for the next hour. Any magical healing or herbalist can remove the effect. (Satyre)

17. Crowstorm - A murder of crows is disturbed by the passing of the PCs and fly upwards in a raucous mob, spoiling any chance of surprise on unsuspecting monsters. Wonder what they were eating? (Satyre)

18. Widowmaker - a heavy tree limb falls from the surrounding forest canopy. Make a DEX check; rolling lower than DEX means the PCs didn't get out of the way and got smashed by the branch. Roll 2d12 for damage (because they ain't called widowmakers for nothing!). (Matthew W Schmeer)

19. Animal Graveyard - The dense forest opens to sparser ground with younger trees and overgrown grasses. Scattered everywhere underfoot are the bones of all sorts of forest creatures, from field mice and voles to bears, wolves, and elk. Most lie intact, where they fell. There is no way to move around or through the area without stepping on bones. None of the skeletons are animated, but the careful explorer might discover a unicorn with an intact horn (which can heal wounds and cure poison) among the dead. (Matthew W Schmeer)

20. Forest Fire-A bolt of lightning strikes a nearby tree, causing it to burst into flames. If the weather conditions are dry enough, the fire will catch and spread. The direction and speed of the blaze will depend on wind conditions. The fire will burn until it reaches a clearing, or a body of water. (Oublieditor)

21. What appears to be an ancient sword, driven to the hilt in a large stone. Both the sword and stone are covered with lichen and mosses. Clearing away the layers of growth will reveal faint, worn runes from a long-dead language carved around the stone's circumference. PCs with knowledge of arcane languages will be able to decipher the message to read "As this stone is to the earth, this sword is to the stone." There is no way to remove the sword from the stone. If a PC traces the runes with his or her fingers as the message is spoken (in the original tongue), the stone will levitate ten inches off the ground for 1d4 rounds. Under the stone are the crushed remains of three adventurers; what little rotted clothing remains indicates they came from different time periods. A rotted purse contains 10cp, 45sp, and 15gp. If a PC is caught beneath the stone when the levitation ends, they must make a successful DEX check, or suffer 2d6+12 points of crushing damage. If they roll a critical miss, then the PC must Save vs. Death. A successful save results in 2d8+12 points of crushing damage. (Matthew W Schmeer)

22. Forgotten hunter's trap. If the party is not actively searching for traps, then the character in the lead must save (versus petrification) or take 1d8 damage. Since the trap has been long abandoned in the forest undergrowth, it has become quite mucky and rusty, and anyone taking damage must also save versus poison, or the wound will become infected. (Kelvin Green)

23. Disturbed Graves. The PCs stumble upon a series of 1d8 ransacked cairns on the edges of the path. Each cairn is roughly human-sized, and the human remains are either missing, half-pulled from cairns, or dismembered and scattered about the underbrush. It appears to be the work of vandals or grave robbers more than the work of animals, although the remains show evidence of animal teethmarks. Nothing of value remains in the cairns or on the bodies. There is a 10% chance the PCs accidently stir up the ghost of one of the dead. The ghost will beseech the party to rectify the damage to the graves. If the PCs decided to re-inter the dead (at the ghost's behest or not) and perform a funeral rite, an emaciated terrier wearing a red collar will emerge from the underbrush and sit next to a cairn. Hanging from its collar is an emerald worth 3d30gp. The dog is friendly, and will allow the PCs to feed and pet it. However, once the PCs remove the emerald, the dog will disappear into the woods, never to be seen again. (Matthew W Schmeer)

24. The Crumbling Bridge - the party encounter a gorge (see 9) but this time, it's traversed by a stone bridge. However, it has suffered the ravages of wind and rain and is in a very parlous state. The party can cross it but there is a chance that1. a stone nearby falls into the gorge2. a stone on which one of them is standing falls into the gorge (save vs. DEX or go with it)3. the entire bridge starts to crumble (the party have 1d12 melee rounds to get off the bridge before it falls into the gorge)

(note that there is also a 10% chance that the bridge is guarded by a knight in black armour who will challenge the best fighter in the party to a duel. If he is injured at any point in the duel, the knight will taunt the party that his injury is only a flesh wound) (Daddy Grognard)

25: Gewgaws. Hanging from the branches in this area are a number of small figures made of twigs, grass and leaves. They are of crude construction, but they do bear a slight resemblance to the party members (Kelvin Green)

26 Abandoned Well: overgrown with weeds and a rotten plank placed over the mouth, the well is either half-filled with a noxious, toxic liquid that used to be water or completely empty with sharp rocks awaiting the unlucky traveller who falls through the plank and down the 30+ feet. (Boric G)

27. Poacher camp. In a small clearing the PCs discover an abandoned poacher encampment. Hanging from the trees are several rotting animal carcasses, stripped of their hides, antlers, teeth, claws, etc. Flies swarm the area, and the carcasses are crawling with maggots and grubs. The ground is trampled and splattered with blood. There are collapsed tents, broken equipment, and large, hand-sized stones scattered around the camp. Trees around the outer edges are smashed and flattened, as if some large creature tore through the area. No tracks or footprints are visible. The rotting remains of two mules, their carcasses obviously gnawed on, can be found 100 yards away. The stones around the camp's fire are engraved with strange runes, and the burnt remains of something rubbery and tentacled can be found under the ash. (Matthew W Schmeer)

28. Lost? The PCs notice they've passed the same tree three or four times. The tree will continue to "follow" them for 1d8 rounds/turns (DM choice). Casting Detect Magic will make the tree glow with a bright green aura. (Matthew W Schmeer)

29. Stone Portal - the party encounter two monoliths standing perhaps five to ten feet apart. Whoever goes through (and there will be no result if they throw stones or other objects through) will vanish from the sight of the party. The PC in question will arrive on the far side 1d12 hours into the future and if he searches for his fellows, will find them not too far away, viciously slaughtered and partially eaten, already festering and covered in flies. He can return through the gateway but not until it has reset which may take 1d8 x 10 minutes. There is a 15% chance that returning through the gate may send him 1d12 hours into the past (i.e. before he stepped through the first time) (Daddy Grognard)

30. Forgotten Garden. The PCs stumble upon the remains of what was once a lush and beautiful topiary garden. The trees, bushes, and shrubs are all shaped into the forms of animals and monsters--badgers, bears, griffins, manticore, centaurs, sphinxes, kobolds, gnolls, etc--but are clearly overgrown and have not been trimmed for quite some time.

Creeping throughout the garden, entwined through all the shaped plants, is a Tantalus Vine (see comment from C’nor on this post.)

Deep in the forest, something stirs. That something is a small party of the Duke’s men searching for the Duke’s daughter. Several weeks ago, the girl and her carriage and servants vanished on their way through the thick forest on the edge of the Duchy and searchers found the shattered remains of the carriage and servants but no sign of the girl.

More recently, rumours have begun to surface (and been quickly suppressed by the Duke) that his daughter has been seen running naked in the deepest forest, accompanied by a huge hairy man in a similar state of undress. She is clearly affected by some sort of curse or spell which has turned her mind. The Duke has despatched his senior cleric and a small group of retainers and men-at-arms to search out the girl and bring her home for treatment (and while they’re at it, discreetly dispose of the hairy man of the forest). The party have been offered the job of providing extra security and advice, since most of the men-at-arms are more at home on a parade ground and while good with their weapons, have no experience of forests.

DM notes; the truth is, of course, more complex than that. The girl was captured but not by bandits or robbers – the attacker was a were-bear and his form as a huge brown bear, quickly made short work of the servants and horses but carried off the Duke’s daughter instead. When she woke in his forest bower, she saw him in his human form and, as he was so completely unlike the simpering fops she had been presented with as potential husbands, she very quickly fell deeply in love with him. He returned the feeling and soon she shared his affliction too – although she relishes the freedom and strength that she now experiences as a were-bear. She very much wants to have his cubs as well.

It can be seen that she will not come quietly, especially as both she and her lover have the ability to summon other brown bears to their assistance (yes, there are enough within the required distance for this to work).

Also within striking range, in a nearby rocky valley is a rogue cave bear, who is on the prowl looking for females and has taken an interest in the bear pack to which the werebears have attached themselves.

The Duke’s party has no idea of what is waiting for them, thinking that they need only to overcome a wild hermit and subdue the girl until she can be brought to her senses with a simple curing spell.

Treasure type R is a high-probability rich end of the spectrum hoard with jewellery and gems thrown in for good measure. T gives us scrolls and X is a high-probability small magic type. I would imagine that the werebear would care little for the coinage, perhaps admiring the gems and bestowing the jewellery on his lady (if she still cared for such). The scrolls would be used in defence if he were attacked whilst in human form. The DM can decide if the werebear thinks it more advisable to transform than remain human and fight that way (he has excellent forest skills, much as a ranger or druid does).

Of course, the bears are not the only hazard to be faced whilst travelling through the forest. The following is a table for encounters of a woodland nature (check either once per day or twice)

1. Landslide – either (1d6 1-3 the path ahead has crumbled away and leaves the party having to turn back or try a very risky way round or 4-6 the terrain above the party comes crashing down on them, with all the hazards that this will entail)2. Quagmire – the party finds itself stuck in a marshy bog with the following consequences (1d6) 1-2 up to their waists, 3-4 up to their armpits, 5-6 up to their necks. Make a second roll and if a 6 comes up, a deep section of bog has been entered that is deeper than the party is tall) 3. Fallen tree – the path ahead is blocked. The blockage will extend 3d12 feet on either side of the path. The tree can be climbed over but horses and mules will have to be helped over or taken around the obstacle. 4. Wasps! A vicious swarm appears from an old tree stump and attacks the party and their mounts. The horses will panic unless either a ranger or druid is available to control them. Each party member who does not flee will take 1d3 of damage per round. 5. Precipitous slope – the ground pitches almost straight down in front of the party. Each party member must make a Climb Walls roll as if they were a thief of the equivalent level. Failure means the party member in question has plunged 1d30 feet with the appropriate damage when they come to a sudden stop. Horses and other animals will have great trouble descending. There is a 20% chance that searching to either side may reveal a narrow ledge whereby mounts can descend.6. Woodland shrine, overgrown – either a cave or tumbledown stone walls signal what was once a holy site to a woodland deity. Now it is unused and overgrown but it may still have some lingering power. If the characters are of a diametrically opposed alignment, they will be struck down with a minor malevolent effect from page 162 of the DMG. A minor benevolent effect may be bestowed if the characters are sympathetic to the aims and beliefs of the deity. As mentioned in the DMG, the effects will last 1-4 weeks.7. Poisonous berries – surely no-one would be so stupid as to eat those brightly coloured berries they can see growing in the bushes. Maybe not, but the horses might decide to try them. Or any other animals the party have with them. All animals that do try them must save vs. poison at +2 on the die or fall deeply unconscious and die within 1d12 hours.8. Hallucinogenic flowers – as the party pass through this area, they will disturb the pollen of the flowers and this will cause hallucinations, the exact nature of which is down to the DM to decide.9. Gorge – a deep gash in the ground blocks the way. It is like the precipitous slope except that on the far side of the river or stream at its bottom, there is another slope of similar steepness that needs to be ascended. Again, searching up and down the length of the gorge may find a place that is marginally easier to descend or ascend.10. Midges! The swarming, biting cloud of insect pests makes the party’s life a misery. Each round that they are in this area, each of them will take 1hp of damage from the midges. All die rolls they have to make will be reduced by 1. Animals will be very bad-tempered and difficult to control. 11. Overgrown battle site – the bones and rusty armour tell a sorry tale of mortal combat and sudden death. Now, they are almost invisible amongst the undergrowth but there is a chance that some of the armour may be useable and a slim chance that some coins or magic may still be obtainable if the party dig hard enough. However, there is also a chance (10%) that the party will disturb something that was not meant to be troubled and a random undead entity will rise up to punish the interlopers (either skeleton, wraith, spectre or ghost)12. Ancient statue – long-neglected and crumbling with the years, this is nevertheless indicative of something. Whether that something is a ruined mansion, a temple, the entrance to a dungeon complex or just a memorial to a forgotten family member, no self-respecting adventurers would pass it by without checking to see what else is in the neighbourhood. Of course, there is also the chance that it’s a stone golem that is waiting for some kind of trigger action.

I’m thinking of posting this table as a d30 Community Challenge, much like Gorgonmilk’s tables, so put your thinking caps on and see if you can come up with any other non-monster related woodland perils.

Friday, 18 March 2011

So, you’ve got the players, you’ve agreed the rules and the characters are rolled up. Now – what do you do next?

There are two choices here – either pick up a pre-written adventure or start off with one of your own. If your players are new to Call of Cthulhu, it might be an idea to ease them in slowly with something that you can customise and adapt to their playing styles as they emerge. I found with my Majestic Hotel scenario (home-brew) that this worked best. Your mileage may vary. And as we shall see next time, this is not as much work as you might think it is.

If the characters don’t know each other, the Keeper needs to work with each player, checking out the character rationale and history in order to get an idea of what might hook the character into embarking on this investigation. A player can play a character best when they believe in what they’re playing.

“Wait, wait!” I hear you cry – “I thought Old School was all about exploration rather than developing character, and anyway, why should my players develop characters that are probably going to die within a few days?”

Rest easy, my friend – Call of Cthulhu, as we’ve already discussed earlier, is atmosphere-heavy. In a game environment where the feel of the setting is paramount, the degree to which the players believe in their characters and identify with them makes the job of the Keeper easier when it comes to creating an atmosphere of fear and unease.

So yes, for this game, a degree of character history is not only a good idea but also contributes to the way the game develops.

So, the hook. To begin with, the characters will not know each other and, if the players are new to the game, neither will they. This is a perfect opportunity to ease the player into the scenario - they may even meet another player without realising they’ve done so. For some time, they may believe that they are entirely on their own, suspecting everyone they meet and everything that happens to them. Good – this is just the attitude a player needs to develop if they’re to survive any length of time in CoC.

A case in point – my Majestic adventure was set at a luxurious ski hotel high in the Vermont mountains. I wanted to get the characters there but didn’t want them in the CoC equivalent of “you are sitting in a tavern when a mysterious stranger approaches you…”. I checked each character’s personality and history and from that, extrapolated reasons why they should want to go to the hotel, without knowing what was lying in wait for them. One character was a gangster, who was informed that a fugitive from mob justice was staying at the hotel and was told to go there, dispose of him and recover stolen money. Another character, a socialite with money worries got a letter from a friend saying a mutual acquaintance worked there and was looking for entertaining after-dinner speakers. A third character who worked at a coffee shop had let it be known in his character bio that he was looking for another job and so he got a call from the restaurant manager who was thinking of starting a coffee outlet to respond to impending Prohibition.

All three characters now had a reason to attend the hotel without knowing that the others were also on their way.

With a group of characters that already know each other from earlier investigations (yes, some characters do last longer than one adventure) the job is made that little bit easier. They have common history, may have discovered horrible secrets during their last adventure (which might need following up), possibly acquired artifacts whose history may develop to generate new hooks. The individual characters are now a group with, it is to be hoped, a group loyalty and commonality of purpose. It may be that effectively, the next adventure will more or less write itself.

What does this mean for the Keeper? Well, it means that he needs to hook only one of the characters and the rest will follow. If he wants, the other characters in the party can have hooks that either complement or clash with the main party mission – that will make things interesting, especially if everyone is following their own agenda.

As we’ll see later in this series, establishing a miniverse of your own into which the various adventures can be set, and within which they can be adjusted and amended, gives a fertile bed from which new ideas and hooks can arise.

One final point – I’ve been discussing home-brew in this post, which is easy to amend and adjust to the different histories and motivations of the characters. Pre-written adventures are that little bit harder to use in this situation because they often supply their own hooks and suggestions, which may not necessarily fit the characters and anyway, are very general in order to maximise the adventure’s playability. They may also be structured in a particular way and amending one thing makes the rest of the structure that little bit more wobbly. The Keeper needs to look long and hard at the introduction to these scenarios and, if necessary, throw away the suggested introduction and write a new one that will draw the characters into it in a way that make them feel as if it couldn’t have happened any other way. This is completely okay and develops the Keeper’s creativity, imagination and attachment to someone else’s scenario.

One final, final point – even with all this hard work and character motivation, it may be that the players don’t take the bait. You have two choices at this point – coercion and conciliation. (There is a third choice, which I’ll come to shortly). No player likes to feel that they’re being pushed into something; being the contrary types they are, they may even decide to rebel and derail anything the Keeper brings to the table. Players of Call of Cthulhu may, if the Keeper is doing a good job, become rather paranoid and any hint of compulsion will make them believe that Shoggoths or sinister cannibal cultists are waiting in that seemingly innocent apartment…

Conciliation can work if the players are handled correctly although the Keeper admitting that he would really like the party to do X undermines the atmosphere and verisimilitude of the adventure and the campaign setting – the best horror stories are those when the characters blunder into something that quickly unfolds into a nightmare scenario. Not knowing what you’re getting into is part of the game, and – some would say – the best part.

The final option, if the players seem obdurately determined not to take the bait is to walk away, figuratively speaking and do something else. As we shall see next time, this is not always a bad thing – in fact, in some cases, it may be the making of the adventure.

This adventure takes place in a strangely doorless section of the dungeon. It is accessed by means of a pit trap that will drop those unlucky enough to be caught by it down a 45-degree shaft and into another passageway, very like that from which the affected members were dropped. As they gather themselves together, a solid stone door will slide shut behind them closing off the shaft and anyone still left above. Beside the door is a keyhole.

The party (for so I am describing those who have fallen down the shaft) will not realise it but the passageways in which they now find themselves are an exact replica of the ones above their heads. These passageways, however, are dotted, here and there with statues of people, seemingly petrified in positions of horror or combat.

DM note – this area should be a warren of twisting and turning corridors but with two main routes, interconnected by passages. (see map)

Something like this, but of course done much better by your good self

There are no rooms until at the very far end of the area, furthest from the door to the shaft, the party come across a dimly-lit chamber, lined with columns. There are statues here as well, and a shrine or altar at its far end.

Hung over the shrine, from a hook in the wall is a shimmering golden key. As the party look at it, it seems to shift and change from one image to another.

DM note – this key is subject to an uncertainty field which means that when lifted from its hook it will unlock either Door A or Door B but not both and the door it will fit will be determined by a die roll by the DM, which is not communicated to the players.

There are two things to consider when entering this chamber. The first is the shadowy figure that lurks in the recesses of the room. It is man-sized and has waving serpentine tentacles attached to its head. Although it appears to be a medusa, it is in fact a Petrophage.

The petrophage is to the medusa what the gas spore is to the beholder – an essentially harmless lookalike. In fact, in dark or dim environments, the petrophage is 90% likely to be taken for a medusa. However, it lives off stone, which it breaks down and digests through the use of its head tentacles. Although more or less harmless, it does have one defence which is to eject a cloud of phage spores at an attacker, which it can do once per day. The cloud is debilitating to those who breathe it in (save vs. poison or inhale it) and cripples their respiratory system for 1-12 hours, during which time their STR, CON and movement are reduced to 25%. However, at the end of this time, the victim will cough up 1-3 walnut-sized nuggets of a pumice-like material which, if dissolved in wine vinegar, will act as a one-shot potion which can restore a petrified person.

Does the party have any wine vinegar? Tsk, how very remiss of them!

Petrophages are often found near the lairs of medusas as they enjoy feeding off the petrified victims of the snake-haired ones, but they can also be found around other creatures that petrify as part of their attack.

The petrophage is nervous and will cower and skulk in the shadows, behaviour which will probably be interpreted by the party as menacing in the extreme.

In front of the shrine is a pressure pad that will move if trodden on or prodded by any party member. If they are trying to kill the petrophage, they are unlikely to realise it is there until they do tread on it. If this happens, it will seem to have no observable effect. They may conclude that it triggers a trap that has now been discharged.

Unfortunately, what it does is to open the doors to the cells where two basilisks are kept. They will emerge, hungry and irritable. There is a cell near Door A and a cell near Door B.

The party may well conclude that they are facing a medusa and, having finished off the harmless petrophage, they are now safe. They can recover the key and head back towards the door.

Should any of the party not plunge down the shaft into the lower passages, they may explore the upper passages and find little of interest. The shafts to Door A and Door B are the only methods of access from lower to upper passages. However, if the DM is feeling particularly nasty that day, there could be some kind of lever for the upper passage party to find. They may believe that this opens the doors but unfortunately, it actually triggers an elevator feature which will bring the basilisks to the upper level instead.

The basilisks are listed in the MM as having Treasure Type F. This is a medium-probability treasure type tending toward the gold and platinum end of the spectrum, with a possibility of magic items as well. It could be that the basilisks have hoarded the treasure of fallen victims since not everyone who faces them ends up petrified. Their main bite attack does respectable damage as well. If the DM decides to let them have the specified treasure type, it will be found in their cells, to which they may well drag victims that they have killed with their bite. Bones and rotting body parts may be found therein.

Friday, 11 March 2011

Last week, I posted a long list of links that I had accumulated during the seven months of being the Keeper for a Call of Cthulhu pbem. This week, I want to start posting on the insights and ideas that I came up with over the same period.

These eighteen areas of play will, I hope, outline a method by which an aspiring keeper can set up and run a CoC pbem and do so in a way that is very close to sandbox. Some of these ideas may be obvious to certain readers, but others may find them informative and insightful (I hope).

I began with a very simple premise and then let the actions and reactions of the players guide me as to where the adventure went. The game that resulted from that was a very different one from many CoC games inasmuch as there was no predetermined adventure outline and goal as there often is with published modules. I think that this gave my players the flexibility to explore the setting and feel that what they did made a real difference.

So, without further ado, let us address Point One:

A lot of bloggers have commented, whenever the subject of Call of Cthulhu comes up on a blog post, that they love the game and would dearly like to play it, but cannot find players out there. As I have mentioned on a couple of occasions, CoC is probably one of the best games for running by this method. Combat-light and atmosphere-heavy, a sandbox version of it is almost a horror novel that writes itself. The blogosphere is, therefore the perfect place from which to recruit players who don’t even have to be in the same country as their Keeper.

So, if you want to play, put the call out. See who responds and once you have the right number of players (which in my experience is usually about three or four), you need to move on to establishing a few ground rules for the way the game is going to play out.

Ensure that everyone knows what to expect from - and what they need to give to - the game. This may need formalising if the players are new to each other. Many players, if they have never gamed together, will have different styles and ways of going about things. A short e-mail from the Keeper to establish some protocols will serve to make everyone aware of what will happen and how. The sort of thing that this e-mail will cover will involve such things as regularity of updates, reply times, house rules and variations to the rule sets that players may have, secure dice rollers, etc.

A mention also needs to be given to the period in which the game is going to be set. When CoC first started out, the Lovecraft era was taken as a given, but now there are a great many different settings and periods and some players may have a preference that differs from other players or the Keeper. This needs to be established before play can begin.

If the players are already known but the game has a new Keeper (our campaign has rotating Keepers for adventures), the agreement may need to be changed. The new Keeper may not have as much computer access as the old one, they may have a busier lifestyle or may have a different take on certain rules that they want to discuss. The accession of a new Keeper is a time of change and a good opportunity to renegotiate.

As an adjunct to this, the Keeper needs to ensure that everyone knows when the next session is going to be. If you have got into the habit of updating the game every day and there is going to be a hiatus, let the players know when you anticipate being able to update things again. E-mails have been known to be less than reliable and an email sent and not received is indistinguishable from an email not sent. Request Read Receipts if there is any hint that an internet connection is less than reliable.

Real life has a habit of intruding into game space and holidays and prolonged periods of absence need to be communicated – to all players if the Keeper is going to be off line, and to the Keeper if a particular player is going to be absent. Sometimes, however the interruption is unexpected, and in order to cover this, the Keeper may need to NPC a particular character until that player is able to take up the reins again. Generally, the agreement of players for their characters to be NPCs under the control of the Keeper or of another player is contained within the starting agreement.

If a player’s character has to be run as an NPC, this works best when the action is fairly low-key and no dangerous situations are expected. Pounding the streets and talking to beat cops, librarians or the local priest require little in the way of life and death decision making. When things start to get hairy, either contact the player and explain the situation or have another trusted player make the rolls and decisions. The player may wish to supply a set of stock actions that their character will take in the case of danger and this can be handy in determining what happens in such a situation.

Once everybody knows where they are, what they are doing and how they are going to do it, ensure that they have a copy of the rules or, at the very least, a copy of the Chaosium Quick Start rules. They can then get their characters rolled up and equipped.

It may be an idea for the players to run their ideas for characters by the Keeper before the game starts. The reason for this is that, to begin with, players will not be communicating with each other, only with the Keeper (for obvious reasons – their characters have not met yet) and therefore have no way of knowing the characters that others have chosen. The Keeper will be able to judge the make-up of the party and guide players if he thinks that a combat-heavy or research-heavy party is developing. As with all parties, a broad spectrum of skills and specialities is best equipped to deal with Mythos eventualities.

Well, we’ve covered the initial logistics of setting up the game and establishing protocols. Next week, I’ll be discussing adventure hooks and the first session of the game proper.

This hook occurs at a pinch point of the dungeon, through which the party must pass or risk a very long and dangerous detour.Down a small flight of steps, they enter a flooded passageway, about thirty feet long. At its far end, there is a T-junction. The left hand passage leads to a flight of steps that rise out of the water through an arch framed by carved statues of mermen and mermaids, and up into the darkness. The right hand passage leads to a stone door with a tarnished silver handle. It is impossible to open due to the pressure of the water. Beyond it, there is a small room, empty of water apart from a slimy film on the floor. On its floor are several grilles leading to drainage sluices. Such is the depth of water that traversing the length of these passageways can only be done by becoming completely submerged. About twenty feet down the first passageway, there is what appears to be a large stone dial in the floor. It has a pointer on it and if the silt and mud are moved aside, it can be seen that there are four markings around its edge. At present the dial is not set to any of them. Turning it to the markings will produce the following results

1 – a hatchway will open further up the passageway and 2d6 barracuda are released. 2 – solid stone doors will slide down at the ends of each of the passageways, except the one currently sealed. 3 – outlet sluices will open in the floor and the water will drain out taking 2d12 rounds to completely drain away4 – the solid stone door at the end of the right-hand passageway will open, causing the water to drain into the small room very quickly. Characters will be caught in the flow, deposited in the room and be disoriented for 1d4 rounds. The door will close again after 1d10 rounds and the passageways will begin to fill up again with water.

Once the dial has been turned to a particular setting, it will lock for 1d12 rounds before it can be tried again.

The DM may use whichever drowning and breath-holding rules they see fit to cover this situation.

On the floor of the passageways, currently covered by the silt and murk are several skeletons of previous barracuda victims. They will have coins, weapons and magic items although scrolls will be irreparably stained by their immersion. Suggested treasure types could be L, M, S and possibly Q and X, depending on the level.

If the DM is feeling particularly sadistic, the water could contain parasites that will cause more problems for the party.

Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Well, I've recently finished a seven-month stint as a Keeper on a pbem Call of Cthulhu adventure. From next week, I'll be starting a new blog post series on my ideas and suggestions for how to run a successful pbem, primarily for CoC but some of the ideas and guidelines are transferable to other games.

Over the seven months, I've built up a long list of links that came in very handy for establishing atmosphere and detail. Now that I have become a player rather than Keeper, it's time to clear house; my wife is complaining that our Favourites list reaches halfway to the Sun and I'd like to have all the relevant links in one handy place.

I'm also aware that there are a lot of gamers out there who'd like to play CoC but can't find the players. Pbem solves that problem and I hope that the forthcoming series will give potential Keepers some guidelines and pointers in running a memorable and successful adventure.

So, herewith, the links. I hope that they prove useful for you if you are tempted to probe the eldritch and dark corners of the 1920s...

(my apologies that they are not hyperlinked; when I've got a bit more time, I'll try to fit those in)

What Call of Cthulhu adventure would be complete without its mental asylum? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brattleboro_Retreat

Interested in knowing what time the sun sets in your adventure? You wouldn't want to be caught out after dark, would you?http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/sunrise.html

These links came in very handy when Dungeonmum wanted to have her character speak authenticallyhttp://home.earthlink.net/~dlarkins/slang-pg.htmhttp://local.aaca.org/bntc/slang/slang.htm

Information about cars of 1919 can be found herehttp://local.aaca.org/bntc/mileposts/1919.htmhttp://www.american-automobiles.com/Metz-25.html

And here is the car I want to buy when I am very rich - the Hispano-Suiza H6. What a car!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispano-Suiza_H6

The HP Lovecraft Historical Society is well worth a visithttp://www.cthulhulives.org/toc.html

Need details of menus and foodstuffs of the 1920s?http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecades.html#1920shttp://www.gjenvick.com/VintageMenus/BreakfastMenus/1914-09-08-Menu-Breakfast-Laconia.html

One thing that really makes a pbem adventure is the standard of the props used. I found this site which has a good collection of black and white photos which are handy for using when introducing NPCs.http://www.flickr.com/groups/nederland_voor_1920_holland_before_1920_/pool/

This one is very useful toohttp://rs6.loc.gov/detroit/dethome.html

Some interesting information on tobacco products during the CoC era, with some authentic brand nameshttp://www.tobacco.org/resources/history/Tobacco_History20-1.html

If this chap is not in your CoC adventure, he certainly ought to be:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_Atkinson

Want a street map of Lower Manhattan in 1920?http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/manhattan_lower_1920.jpg

And the list of streetcar lines to go with ithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_streetcar_lines_in_Manhattan

A collection of historical maps; this link takes you to the New York selection but you can navigate to other map categories on the site.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/new_york.html

Fancy a night out in the 1920s? Check out this list and its sister list as wellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vaudeville_performers:_A-K

You'd be mad to miss a site called Historic Asylums of America. No matter where your investigators go insane, there's a place for them to go.http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~asylums/

If you're setting off for Africa in the 1920s, you'll want to make sure you're taking enough equipment. Read about someone who was never under-equippedhttp://uair.arizona.edu/item/272972

Some information on stars of the silent movie erahttp://silentladies.com/SGAnnex16.html

Are you Providence? You are? Then this is the site for you; Rhode Island architecture http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/ri/index.html

A list of the Governors of Vermont - I had great trouble finding this so it's here if you need it. I would imagine that other states have similar listings.http://vermontgenealogy.wordpress.com/2006/12/23/list-of-governors-of-vermont/

A very handy site, not for the Federal Reserve of Minneapolis but for the converter in the top right hand corner which will enable you to compare 2011 prices with those of any other year. Now your investigators won't end up tipping the bellboy the equivalent of a year's wages...http://www.minneapolisfed.org/index.cfm

This site provided me with a wealth of historical photographs of Brattleboro in the 1920s but I should imagine that they will pass for any small town and plenty of other locations should have their own archives.http://www.brattleborohistoricalsociety.org/historic_photos/index.php

Here's an organisation that can be either helper or antagonist for the investigators, depending on which side of the fence they come downhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Protective_League

A little light reading for all horror enthusiasts - The King in Yellow by Robert Chambershttp://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8492

Find out about disasters and tragedies of the 20th century on this site. I'm not saying Mythos creatures were involved - but I'm not saying they weren't.http://www3.gendisasters.com/

1907 was a great year for travel - read all about what it entailed here. Things won't have changed all that much by the 1920shttp://www.phouka.com/ant/book04/ttle.htm

A fascinating guide to Forgotten New York - there's even a link to old cemeteries, and we all know what happens to anyone who goes there in a CoC adventure...http://www.forgotten-ny.com/streetnecrology/necrologyhomepage/necro.html

Links to a whole legion of Gothic writers, including Machen, James, Poe...http://www.litgothic.com/Authors/authors.html

Advertisements can really give flavour to a campaign: this site's got plentyhttp://www.vintageadbrowser.com/

This site is the Popular Science archive and has scans of magazines going back to January 1920 - the small ads can be used to add atmosphere to any adventure (other years are available, just key month and year into the archive box)http://www.popsci.com/results?query=January+1920

Let's go to Egypt (say Hi to Nyarlathotep if you see him...)http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/collections/pa/pioneer/egypt_region.shtml

That's all the links I've got right now. If anyone's got any other links that can assist the busy Keeper, let me know and I'll try to include those as well.

This adventure hook is situated in a dusty, windswept area of hills and rocky wilderness. The hill tribes, a bit like the Afghulis from REH fight their bitter little wars amongst the peaks and valleys but some tribal chieftains aspire to something a little more civilised and have built fortresses and palaces where they display their cultured credentials with antiquities and valuables looted from ruined cities high in the mountains.

Recently, one of these chieftains was visiting a city of the nearest nation, seeking influence and power, when he was the victim of a gang of assassins. His life was however saved by a group of adventurers who pitched in to drive off the assassins. This is the hook by which the party can be enrolled on this adventure. The DM may wish to portray the assassination attempt in all its detail or just have the party stumble upon it and lend a hand to the beleaguered chieftain and his guards.Either way, the chieftain is delighted at the assistance rendered to his good self and extends the hospitality of his hill fortress to the party whenever they wish to visit.

As luck would have it, the party’s visit coincides with the annual Baluchitherium hunt, in which the chieftain and his sons take part. The huge beasts roam the rocky wilds and present a formidable challenge to the tribes who regard it as a mark of extreme honour and prowess to hunt one of these creatures to the death. A hunting group is made up of a father and sons only – once a hunt has begun, no-one can intervene to assist the hunters.

"We will eat like kings tonight, my brothers!"

The party’s stay at the fortress is one that is lavished with the sort of luxuries that a powerful hill chieftain can provide for the people that saved his life. The DM should use his imagination and dip into some REH for flavour.

There is also plenty of glinting gold, jewels, antiques and probably some magical artifacts lying around the fortress; it would be terribly bad manners to filch this, although the chieftain may well gift something valuable to the party if they prove their worth on this visit.

Because the assassins who failed during the city visit are waiting to strike again, using the cover of the hunt. They have already infiltrated the fortress using disguise and agents, and depending on how the fight in the city went, they may have a score to settle with the party as well.

As a further twist, it may be the case that one or more of the chieftain’s sons are plotting to have him ‘accidentally’ killed during the hunt. Perhaps the nearby nation that the chieftain has courted so assiduously is keen to have someone a bit more pliable on the throne and has backed the efforts of the son to do away with his father. It may be that there are in fact two gangs of assassins on the loose, each with its own agenda – one working for the nearby nation and the chieftain’s son, the other working for a rival chieftain or tribesman.

The chieftain’s territory may well be on a lucrative trade route that could do with opening up or perhaps it has large deposits of precious metal just crying out to be exploited by entrepreneurial individuals. The party could well be offered a cut of these potential opportunities to ‘look the other way’ when another attempt is made on the chieftain’s life or maybe even become more actively involved.

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from the Lulu download page for The White Box S&W from BHP

"This game is unlike chess in that the rules are not cut and dried. In many places, they are guidelines and suggested methods only. This is part of the attraction of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons"

About Me

Over halfway to 90, I started playing AD&D when the Police were a cool band and Punk was wild. I am a father to a ten-year-old Junior Grognard and have now managed to establish a five-strong gaming group made up of him and four of his friends, ages ranging from 10 to 11. Solidly Old-School.
High fives and natural 20s to you all!